Farmfresh
City Biddy
COLD here as well 8 balmy degrees with a wind chill of of - 2 and guess what .... it is SNOWING! 
Ohiofarmgirl'sAdventuresinTheGoodLand-where ya been? whatcha been doin
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ohiofarmgirl
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yep. the freakin' snow started again. The Big Man took care of round 3 to check the critters. i gave the hens a bunch o' cracklins to keep them all fat and happy. and warm! we just hit a scorchin' 14*. wind chill = 0* whoot! the geese even went back in.... dang. is gonna be a long january.
LA - yes! get pigs!! did i mention i was eating a hot bowl of ham and beans??? and corn bread... yum.....
LA - yes! get pigs!! did i mention i was eating a hot bowl of ham and beans??? and corn bread... yum.....
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ohiofarmgirl
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But how did I get HERE?
To continue the story of how I came to be Ohiofarmgirl in The Good Land.... You'll recall my escape from my corporate life and that we arrived safely at The Big Man's ancestral home which is how I got to Ohio. But how did I get here? Here in our newish house and our 15 acres? It was a little journey. There were some funny bumps.
Flash back to the night I arrived in Ohio, fresh from driving across the country in a packed-to-the-gills Ford Explorer with my two old lady cats in my lap... we arrived in the 1834 house in the middle of the sprawling acres that The Big Man occupied. I walked in carrying my two old cats. Lets remember he was a bachelor. The house needed work. I had been there before but it didn't hit me until I got there, standing in the kitchen. Oh wow. It needed a LOT of work. I looked around blinking and with panic building.
I need a large glass of booze. I said.
He handed it to me. Three shots later, a full night's sleep, and then the next morning I got up to consider my new home. I learned a few things about this new abode..... First, my cats HATED it. I wasn't sure why but that would be revealed later. Clever little felines. The entire first night they nervously paced and yowled. Finally, now that it was morning.... they settled in and went to sleep. Cats.
Next, I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore, as they say. Or, more specifically, in civilization. In civilization, I would have gotten up in the morning - early... about 10am, walked down to one of the many nearby boutique coffee houses for my favorite espresso drink, then stopped by the luxury grocery store for a finely made, handcrafted pastry. I could do this with ease as I didn't have morning chores and certainly the house cleaner made sure my domain was spotless and neat. It began to dawn on me that things might be different.
I was still standing in the kitchen when The Big Man shuffled downstairs and bade me good morning. My cats had gotten up with him and were anxiously pacing around and yowling.
Still blinking and looking around, I asked him, So, when are we going to Starbucks?
He looked at me oddly.
You know, coffee? I need a bone dry, double cappuccino. With ristretto shots.
He was still looking at me oddly but said gently, You might want to get some breakfast first. Its at least a 45 minute drive. One way.
The words rang in my ears. I sat down unbelieving as he made me a fried egg sandwich and home made coffee. Home made coffee? Whoever heard of such a thing? I had just driven most of the way across the country. I wasn't going to drive one more mile so home made coffee it was.
After, I began to shovel out.. I mean... to clean the house. I think I was still in shock.
The 'what do you mean there is no Starbucks nearby' morning ritual continued every morning for 3 days. By the fourth morning I was beginning to get as frothy as that cappuccino I was longing for.... And then it happened.
Exhaustion met with the appalling lack of a nearby, skilled barrista and what is now known as the Kitchen Breakdown occurred. There was crying, a certain amount of accusatory screaming, a totally confused The Big Man, and me shrilly shrieking the words You mean I have to make my own coffee and clean my own house???? Who LIVES like this!
My cats glared at me. They didn't like the old house. The water tasted funny and they were always looking at something that I couldn't see. But we were here. So we all adjusted and adapted. The cats made their dissatisfaction known by barfing on everything. I took a different approach. I accepted the challenge, cowboy'd up, and jumped in with both feet. First I had to solve the problem of that home made coffee.
After doing what can only be described as a rigorous scientific investigation and testing of a number of coffee makers I was able to create a passable cafe au lait. Which seemed appropriately provincial. Learn to make coffee Check! I congratulated myself at fitting into the country life so well.
The house cleaning was another matter. I hadn't actually cleaned my own house in a while. I tried to remember how the cleaning lady did it but mostly I wasn't home when she was there. I consulted Martha Stewart. She had checklists so I followed them. Ahhh... so thats what all those weird bottles of spray stuff were under the sink. OK. I can do this... kind of. Well I'm still working on that.
But still the matter of how we got from there to here...our own place. Well. A lot of things happened. I spent two winters in the old house we expected we would be for the duration. Five generations of his family had lived in that house. His great-grandfather and his brother built the 'new' part of it at the turn of the last century. But best laid plans and all. You know how that goes.
Suffice it to say that, like the cats, I was never comfortable there. Mostly because I'm not a good borrower, nor a good renter, I'm much better at being an owner than a user. And we were not going to be true owners of the old house. So we decided it would be in our best interest to have a place of our own.
It took a while to find this property. Not only was I shocked at these rural nabob's version of the real estate game....we just couldn't find any place. First, it was hard to find properties over 10 acres. Then there were the 'deed restrictions' that specifically said I couldn't have pigs, or chickens, or a certain kind of fence. Are you kidding? Aren't we in America? Who came up with that stupid rule? So many of the properties were ruled out right off the bat. We also had to stay within driving distance of the nearest bigger city where The Big Man worked. It seemed hopeless.
But then, one day my friend and real estate agent, Lyn, called excitedly to tell me there was a new listing. A house in the right county, with 15 acres, and an existing business a nursery. I knew before we saw it that this would be our new place. I wanted to start a nursery at the old farm! And this one had a nursery already!? It was perfect! In an Amish town! And close to a bigger town that had... a Starbucks! I was sold.
When we arrived I jumped out of the car and started walking the property. It was late winter so most everything was dormant. But I thought to myself as I was walking across the only flat area in the yard that this would be the perfect spot for a garden. I started designing an English garden x French potager.
The hen house would need some work but it wouldn't take much. I saw that the owner came out to talk to Lyn. I saw them smiling and nodding pleasantly. Lyn walked across the flat part of the yard to me.
So this is where my garden is going to be. I said gleefully, gesturing around. Just as soon as I mow off these hideous weeds!
She kinda shook her head and said, No.. I don't think you want to do that. This is where the day lilies are planted.
The what?
The day lilies Said Lyn. Their nursery they grow day lilies. This is it.
Oh no. I said and looked around to see that those stupid, ugly, scrubby 'weeds' stretched in all directions. I was standing in a field of them. There was no green house. No work benches, no planting beds.. nothing but day lilies peeking out of the frozen ground. There were no roses, no petunias, no pansies... not even a shrubbery. Just day lilies. Hundreds.. no..Thousands of them.
Oh no. I said again. This can't be. I HATE day lilies! They are the only flower I don't like! I cant grow them! Say it ain't so!
But it was.
Two days later they accepted our offer. Thirty days later the previous owners were gone and I was the somewhat reluctant owner of thousands and thousands of plants that I would not or could not love. Yep. Best laid plans. Was that the universe laughing?
We didn't hate the house but I sure didn't love it. A 1970's split level in the middle of nowhere just has 'whatever' written all over it. I had envisioned an older home with stately woodwork and lots of stories. Not a overgrown ranch. The only story this house was, judging by the copious amount of wall paper, was that the former owners loved sheep.
It needed some character and some work. And less sheep related wallpaper. The day after we got the keys my sis and her husband showed up. With tools. As a contractor my brother in law told me which walls I could rip down. We got out the big hammer and went to work.
And then I learned if you think about something really hard, and get a book, and spend a lot of time at Lowes, you can rip out an existing kitchen and adjoining bed room and make one big kitchen yourself. I found out I can lay a hardwood floor. And build cabinets. And install counter tops. I had a great time. Most days I took Ti and he 'helped' me while I worked at the new place The Big Man kept the rest of the critters at the old farm.
We finally moved in full time when most of the construction was done. The hens were installed, the dogs were free to roam, and then the big test. I gingerly brought over my two old cats. I expected yowling and pacing.... but instead.... they casually walked out of the carriers, looked around as if bored, and began to lick their paws. That was it. We were home.
And that is how we got here. But moving those hens over.. well. That's quite a story in itself!
To continue the story of how I came to be Ohiofarmgirl in The Good Land.... You'll recall my escape from my corporate life and that we arrived safely at The Big Man's ancestral home which is how I got to Ohio. But how did I get here? Here in our newish house and our 15 acres? It was a little journey. There were some funny bumps.
Flash back to the night I arrived in Ohio, fresh from driving across the country in a packed-to-the-gills Ford Explorer with my two old lady cats in my lap... we arrived in the 1834 house in the middle of the sprawling acres that The Big Man occupied. I walked in carrying my two old cats. Lets remember he was a bachelor. The house needed work. I had been there before but it didn't hit me until I got there, standing in the kitchen. Oh wow. It needed a LOT of work. I looked around blinking and with panic building.
I need a large glass of booze. I said.
He handed it to me. Three shots later, a full night's sleep, and then the next morning I got up to consider my new home. I learned a few things about this new abode..... First, my cats HATED it. I wasn't sure why but that would be revealed later. Clever little felines. The entire first night they nervously paced and yowled. Finally, now that it was morning.... they settled in and went to sleep. Cats.
Next, I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore, as they say. Or, more specifically, in civilization. In civilization, I would have gotten up in the morning - early... about 10am, walked down to one of the many nearby boutique coffee houses for my favorite espresso drink, then stopped by the luxury grocery store for a finely made, handcrafted pastry. I could do this with ease as I didn't have morning chores and certainly the house cleaner made sure my domain was spotless and neat. It began to dawn on me that things might be different.
I was still standing in the kitchen when The Big Man shuffled downstairs and bade me good morning. My cats had gotten up with him and were anxiously pacing around and yowling.
Still blinking and looking around, I asked him, So, when are we going to Starbucks?
He looked at me oddly.
You know, coffee? I need a bone dry, double cappuccino. With ristretto shots.
He was still looking at me oddly but said gently, You might want to get some breakfast first. Its at least a 45 minute drive. One way.
The words rang in my ears. I sat down unbelieving as he made me a fried egg sandwich and home made coffee. Home made coffee? Whoever heard of such a thing? I had just driven most of the way across the country. I wasn't going to drive one more mile so home made coffee it was.
After, I began to shovel out.. I mean... to clean the house. I think I was still in shock.
The 'what do you mean there is no Starbucks nearby' morning ritual continued every morning for 3 days. By the fourth morning I was beginning to get as frothy as that cappuccino I was longing for.... And then it happened.
Exhaustion met with the appalling lack of a nearby, skilled barrista and what is now known as the Kitchen Breakdown occurred. There was crying, a certain amount of accusatory screaming, a totally confused The Big Man, and me shrilly shrieking the words You mean I have to make my own coffee and clean my own house???? Who LIVES like this!
My cats glared at me. They didn't like the old house. The water tasted funny and they were always looking at something that I couldn't see. But we were here. So we all adjusted and adapted. The cats made their dissatisfaction known by barfing on everything. I took a different approach. I accepted the challenge, cowboy'd up, and jumped in with both feet. First I had to solve the problem of that home made coffee.
After doing what can only be described as a rigorous scientific investigation and testing of a number of coffee makers I was able to create a passable cafe au lait. Which seemed appropriately provincial. Learn to make coffee Check! I congratulated myself at fitting into the country life so well.
The house cleaning was another matter. I hadn't actually cleaned my own house in a while. I tried to remember how the cleaning lady did it but mostly I wasn't home when she was there. I consulted Martha Stewart. She had checklists so I followed them. Ahhh... so thats what all those weird bottles of spray stuff were under the sink. OK. I can do this... kind of. Well I'm still working on that.
But still the matter of how we got from there to here...our own place. Well. A lot of things happened. I spent two winters in the old house we expected we would be for the duration. Five generations of his family had lived in that house. His great-grandfather and his brother built the 'new' part of it at the turn of the last century. But best laid plans and all. You know how that goes.
Suffice it to say that, like the cats, I was never comfortable there. Mostly because I'm not a good borrower, nor a good renter, I'm much better at being an owner than a user. And we were not going to be true owners of the old house. So we decided it would be in our best interest to have a place of our own.
It took a while to find this property. Not only was I shocked at these rural nabob's version of the real estate game....we just couldn't find any place. First, it was hard to find properties over 10 acres. Then there were the 'deed restrictions' that specifically said I couldn't have pigs, or chickens, or a certain kind of fence. Are you kidding? Aren't we in America? Who came up with that stupid rule? So many of the properties were ruled out right off the bat. We also had to stay within driving distance of the nearest bigger city where The Big Man worked. It seemed hopeless.
But then, one day my friend and real estate agent, Lyn, called excitedly to tell me there was a new listing. A house in the right county, with 15 acres, and an existing business a nursery. I knew before we saw it that this would be our new place. I wanted to start a nursery at the old farm! And this one had a nursery already!? It was perfect! In an Amish town! And close to a bigger town that had... a Starbucks! I was sold.
When we arrived I jumped out of the car and started walking the property. It was late winter so most everything was dormant. But I thought to myself as I was walking across the only flat area in the yard that this would be the perfect spot for a garden. I started designing an English garden x French potager.
The hen house would need some work but it wouldn't take much. I saw that the owner came out to talk to Lyn. I saw them smiling and nodding pleasantly. Lyn walked across the flat part of the yard to me.
So this is where my garden is going to be. I said gleefully, gesturing around. Just as soon as I mow off these hideous weeds!
She kinda shook her head and said, No.. I don't think you want to do that. This is where the day lilies are planted.
The what?
The day lilies Said Lyn. Their nursery they grow day lilies. This is it.
Oh no. I said and looked around to see that those stupid, ugly, scrubby 'weeds' stretched in all directions. I was standing in a field of them. There was no green house. No work benches, no planting beds.. nothing but day lilies peeking out of the frozen ground. There were no roses, no petunias, no pansies... not even a shrubbery. Just day lilies. Hundreds.. no..Thousands of them.
Oh no. I said again. This can't be. I HATE day lilies! They are the only flower I don't like! I cant grow them! Say it ain't so!
But it was.
Two days later they accepted our offer. Thirty days later the previous owners were gone and I was the somewhat reluctant owner of thousands and thousands of plants that I would not or could not love. Yep. Best laid plans. Was that the universe laughing?
We didn't hate the house but I sure didn't love it. A 1970's split level in the middle of nowhere just has 'whatever' written all over it. I had envisioned an older home with stately woodwork and lots of stories. Not a overgrown ranch. The only story this house was, judging by the copious amount of wall paper, was that the former owners loved sheep.
It needed some character and some work. And less sheep related wallpaper. The day after we got the keys my sis and her husband showed up. With tools. As a contractor my brother in law told me which walls I could rip down. We got out the big hammer and went to work.
And then I learned if you think about something really hard, and get a book, and spend a lot of time at Lowes, you can rip out an existing kitchen and adjoining bed room and make one big kitchen yourself. I found out I can lay a hardwood floor. And build cabinets. And install counter tops. I had a great time. Most days I took Ti and he 'helped' me while I worked at the new place The Big Man kept the rest of the critters at the old farm.
We finally moved in full time when most of the construction was done. The hens were installed, the dogs were free to roam, and then the big test. I gingerly brought over my two old cats. I expected yowling and pacing.... but instead.... they casually walked out of the carriers, looked around as if bored, and began to lick their paws. That was it. We were home.
And that is how we got here. But moving those hens over.. well. That's quite a story in itself!
lorihadams
Always doing laundry
Wow....waiting to hear about the chickens.... 
Up-the-Creek
Lovin' The Homestead
OFG,..sounds like you was in culture shock! Or at least coffee shock! 
Awesome story!
Awesome story!
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
You never said why your cats hated the other house. 
Was it haunted?
Was it haunted?- Thread starter
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ohiofarmgirl
Sipping Bacon Martinis
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it was coffee shock! then you shoulda seen me when i started going to the starbucks around here. i became known as That Woman Who Has Foam Issues. seriously. they knew my voice from the drive thru........ i nearly came to blows with one starbucks employee over the difference between a macchiato and a very dry cappuccino. he even got out the employee handbook. i was right. my sis has never been able to go back to that store out of sheer embarrassment.
as for the haunting.. hee hee hee... its very funny. our weirdest little cat, Pepper, was always looking at something. the old lady cats just had the heebiejeebies the entire time we were there.
as for me, i had heard stories of ghost sitings and 'weird things'....and the farm is next to a very old cemetery... so i kinda wondered what would happen.
but being a child not of the darkness but of the light (namaste) and a fierce Believer, i went in bibles blazin' and cleaned every malcontent spook right out of there. i slept with a stack of bibles beside my bed and from time to time would vigorously rebuke spirits or what-have-yous ... generally by pitching The Good Book at 'em... works every time.
;-)
as for the haunting.. hee hee hee... its very funny. our weirdest little cat, Pepper, was always looking at something. the old lady cats just had the heebiejeebies the entire time we were there.
as for me, i had heard stories of ghost sitings and 'weird things'....and the farm is next to a very old cemetery... so i kinda wondered what would happen.
but being a child not of the darkness but of the light (namaste) and a fierce Believer, i went in bibles blazin' and cleaned every malcontent spook right out of there. i slept with a stack of bibles beside my bed and from time to time would vigorously rebuke spirits or what-have-yous ... generally by pitching The Good Book at 'em... works every time.
;-)
Farmfresh
City Biddy
Great story ... I hope you are saving these for the book! 
Old houses just sorta creak all of the time. Humidity levels are constantly changing causing the wood to shift and heave. You get used to it after about 15 years or so. On the nice side - burglars do not stand a chance - even the cat makes the floor creak!
Old houses just sorta creak all of the time. Humidity levels are constantly changing causing the wood to shift and heave. You get used to it after about 15 years or so. On the nice side - burglars do not stand a chance - even the cat makes the floor creak!
Javamama
Almost Self-Reliant
Love the heebiejeebie cats. We once had a demon in our new place. It smelled like death - like when a rodent departs and you can't get to it. But this rodent followed us around the house. We were new at the rebuking stuff and it took us awhile to figure it out, but it got taken care of.
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ohiofarmgirl
Sipping Bacon Martinis
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thats what i'm talkin' about
;-)
the house had been rented out and all of the renters had some spooky story... so the whole thing to me was kinda funny. but like i said - it was clean as a whistle when i was there! hee hee hee
thanks FF! we once had a crew working on the other house on the property.. those poor boys. they were there on a windy nite and there were branches hitting against the house (we saw them so we knew) but the crew thought it was some spooky ghost walking around in the attic. we nearly peed our pants b/c those poor boys were scared to death!
old houses have so much character... but i have to say. this newer house is pretty good as far as everything working! we never have to be afraid the house is going to burn down in the nite b/c of old and scary wiring!
